Landships II

I appreciate the effort, Eugene,...but only the dreaded red Xs appear.

If you do the old 'right click -properties' on a red cross, you get a very odd URL.

"It's a URL, Jim, but not as we know it..."

I see them now! Interesting!

BTW, I added some info on the vezdekhod from John Milsom's book on Russian tanks to an earlier thread, I don't know whether anyone saw it because I think I added it quite a while after activity had died down there:

http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=63528&subForumID=169814&action=viewTopic&commentID=3749254&topicPage=6

Could you elaborate on that a little, Stoyan? What evidence disproves it?

I can. Whether but I do not know it is necessary.
The matter is that I 10 more years have written article on vezdekhod back,
It is not published but I still wish to see it in magazine.

However I can calm you. Vezdekhod existed, it was tested, and it really had the armour.

You say it was tested and had armour, but was the vezdekhod like the drawings? And are just those stories of its creation wrong? And what is the right story?

And what the heck is that thing? Is it an armoured train, or is it supposed to go over ground? Tell us more, please!

Ah, interesting stuff, Stoyan, but I'm going to have to pump for more information, I'm afraid...

If the vezdekhod was not to have a turret, does that mean the photo shows it complete? And where (and what) would its armament have been? Also, is the bodywork of the vezdekhod in the photo made of metal - that is, is it the fully armoured version you referred to?

Now, that "polevoi bronenosets" is mad! So inside each drum is an engine and crew? Hence the door on each? And what is the armament? Those turrets look big. Can't say it looks very practical, though...

Anyway, fascinating stuff, Stoyan!

Ok Stoyan

  You have peaked my interest, I am intrigued by this new vehicle (Polevoi Bronenosets), I am with the others, more information PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

All The Best

Tim R.

Vilkata wrote:

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Am I correct to assume that the Polevoi Bronenosets was basically unsteerable? Or were there 10 drum wheels on each side? That is possibly the most bizarre AFV ever devised. Even crazier than the Tsar Tank!! ---Vil.

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Could it actually be a component for some form of armoured train. The suspension looks very railway like.

All that is

In August 1915 inventor A.A.Porohovshchikov had been offered the project "Zemnoi bronenosets".
It has been intended for approach to "the protected enemy items(points)".
In an explanatory note the author has offered two variants of the project:
"Zemnoi bronenosets" - field and fortress. ("Polevoi bronenosets" and "Krepostnoi bronenosets")

Russian word "brone-nosets" - literally "armor-carrier"
If to apply translation on sense that:
"Zemnoi bronenosets" - land ironclad, (land battleship)
"Polevoi bronenosets" - field ironclad
"Krepostnoi bronenosets" - fortress ironclad

"Polevoi bronenosets" had powerful arms and armored protection capable to resist to fire of field artillery.
Vehicle represented steel frame on type frame the bridge, length of 35 meters and width 3 meters. Inside frame there were 10 conducting(leading) armored drums in diameter of 2.3 meters.

Inside each drum was:
engine room,
And two MG-room.

On the ends the basic frame from both sides were placed armored rotary turrets with guns of large calibre.
In the center the cabin of the commander settled down - it had windows with folding boards and bulletproof glasses.
In cabin of the commander workplaces of the commander bronenosets, his assistant, the commander of artillery and his assistant, senior mechanics and the radio/telegraph operator settled down.
From above on cabin was powerful armored a projector.
The basic weapon bronenosets - two guns of calibre 4-6 inches. (101,4 mm - 152,6 mm) in turrets.
With each gun of the main calibre it has been dual a gun of small calibre.

The auxiliary weapon of a battleship - 40 machine guns and 20 grenade-launchers which were inside leaders armored drums in MG-rooms. The engine in a drum stood in the center, on sides machine-gun branches with arms 2 machine guns and 1 grenade-launcher discharge settled down.
For cooling barrels MG's the water circulating system was provided.

In each of 10 engine room for two mechanics was:
The automobile engine capacity 160-200 hp,
Box of transfers, the generator, the fan, fuel tank, water tank
And even one berth and one auxiliary work-shop.

For protection of crew "Polevoi bronenosets" (72 persons) it was provided armor by thickness up to 4 inches.
Manned compartments are made tight for protection against poisoning gases.
Due to significant length "Polevoi bronenosets" under A.Porohovshchikov's application(statement) was capable to overcome natural obstacles in width up to 11 meters.
The battleship could move with a speed from 4.4 up to 21 km/h.

For moving "Polevoi bronenosets" on the big distance the opportunity of its installation on a railway was provided. Speed of movement on rails is determined in 43 km/h.

"Fortress bronenosets" had instead of cannon turrets armoured platform for a landing (500 person) and armor-protection capable to resist to shells of guns of enemy fortresses.

On August, 13, 1915 at session of Technical Committee (the Main Military Technical Management/GVTU - Glavnoe Voenno-Tekhnicheskoe Upravlenie) it has been told, "what even without detailed calculations is possible to tell confidently that offer Porohovshchikov is not feasible". It would be expedient for using in fighting conditions to distribute(allocate) arms of a battleship on separate mobile parts not connected in one rigid system.

By the end of 1915 Porohovshchikov has finished a design "Zemnoi bronenosets".
In an improved version has consisted of lines of armored platforms connected by hinges.
They could deviate is relative each other on all directions.
Armoured platforms 2 types were projected: fighting with gun turrets and transport - for transportation and landing of troops.
Easy connection armoured platforms allowed to form structure of a battleship depending on forthcoming military actions.
Everyone armoured platform has consisted of 2 complete sets of drums and armored a skeleton.
Turn "Zemnoi bronenosets" was carried out due to different speed of rotation of the right and left external drums.
The general(common) device of cabin of the commander, armoured drums, cannon towers remained same as well as on the first project "Zemnoi bronenosets".